In the home and in the garden, gnome statues add a touch of magic and whimsy to your decor. According to legend, decorating with gnomes also can bring you good luck. Use a special gnome as a centerpiece for a forest-themed tableau, or create a thematic display featuring several gnomes at work and at play.
Instructions
1. Survey your home and garden for good spots for gnomes. Outdoors, look for places where gnome statues will be safe and secure. Indoors, gnomes look best at eye level or below. The smaller the gnome statue the more you will need to emphasize it, either through lighting, position or grouping with other gnome statues or accessories.
2. Select gnomes that appeal to your unique sense of style or your interests. You can find vintage and new gnomes portraying all manner of themes and activities, such as fishing, painting, reading or stirring a pot. Gnomes also come in many moods, which can make for fun decorative vignettes. For example, you can place a shy gnome near a bossy gnome, or group together gnomes in studious or artistic pursuits.
3. Choose gnome statues that fit their intended locations. You do not want a rare or vintage gnome on the front porch, susceptible to the elements or curious passerby. Likewise, gnomes made of tough resin work well in outdoor spots or amidst your indoor plants and flowers. Stained, chipped or otherwise damaged gnomes may not survive the seasons, so keep them inside and away from direct sunlight.
4. Establish a backdrop or a setting for your gnome decorations. Outside, gnomes look charming amidst flowers and plants. Place them near rocks, under leaves, on stumps or between flowers to make them appear to be lounging in their natural landscape. Inside, you can use rustic wooden shelves to stage an enchanted forest-like environment for your gnomes. Use real or fake plants, flowers and leaves around gnome statues. You can paint a background on the wall or on a flat canvas panel, placing your gnome amid tall flowers or against fluffy clouds in the sky. You can embellish your gnome house with rocks, pebbles, sea glass, shells, branches, driftwood and other natural elements.
5. Place gnomes in creative groupings throughout a space. You can vary the height of your gnome arrangements by using tree stumps, large rocks or other objects as pedestals. Turn over a metal garden bucket and have a triumphant gnome sit on top of it. Line up several gnomes engaged in a single activity, such as construction or fishing, and surround them with thematic objects such as miniature tools or a display of fishing tackle.
